Everything I’ve accomplished in my career began as a desire to address a personal problem I was experiencing and was often fueled by the fact that there was a giant gap or inadequacy that needed to be filled.

Let me back way on up.  I was in 5th grade, sitting in the library watching my sister’s 4th grade class performance.  It was a rendition of We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel, and I’m guessing the teacher had designed her own creative lyrics, but I wouldn’t know.  Because I couldn’t he...

I was a week late with my 3rd child. And I was HUGE. I won’t lie; it was kind of messing with my mind. My two previous births were picture perfect in my mind, so this must be the one that’s a train wreck, right?! These were the not-so-positive thoughts going through my mind. I’m happy to report the birth was not a nightmare, but he was 10 lbs with a head in the 95th percentile so I’ll let you just sit with that for a minute.

After a healthy period of recovery, I was ready to get back to my fitn...

The idea for my 6 week Prenatal Pilates program was a labor of love in itself. As a Women’s Health Physical Therapist, I spent over 10 years in a clinic setting working with the prenatal population, and I loved every minute of it. Well, almost every minute. I loved watching their baby bumps grow and hearing the trials and tribulations that only someone who has been pregnant herself could truly understand. Things like the stress of registering for the baby shower (how am I supposed to pick one br...

Be transformed instead of traumatized by birth

 The first time I witnessed a baby being born was in a small rural clinic in Kenya. I was 13 years old, spending the day with my dad while he provided medical services when a local woman walked in looking tired and very pregnant.

Beads of sweat on her forehead were the only visible signs of her discomfort, and soon she delivered a healthy baby into her own hands.

Thirteen years later in the USA, preparing for the birth of my own first child, I e...

Hi! I’m Heather Dvorak. I am an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and the owner of A Baby Place. We are a team of 4 IBCLCs and we provide office visits in Lombard, IL and Dallas, TX, home visits throughout the western suburbs of Chicago and the Rockwall, TX area, and telehealth all over the world. My husband and I have twin daughters who are now 11, an 8 yr old son and a 4yr old son.

I returned to work fairly quickly with each of my pregnancies.

I was back to full ti...

We have been working to help families transition in the postpartum period for sometime now and with over 2000 hours of postpartum work have learned a thing or two. Whether you are a new parent about to embark on the journey into parenthood or planning to visit a new baby, here are a few things to keep in mind.

10 things that we have learned as postpartum doulas

1. New parents want to be heard, and your birth story is valid and important. The glorious stories, the traumatic births, and the ones ...

Our bodies are in a constant state of fight or flight. Everyday stressors impact our nervous system from birth and on, impacting the way we move, think, develop, and feel on a daily basis. It’s easy to fall into a cycle of just getting by as the physical and mental symptoms pile up.

What if instead of just getting by, you could thrive?

That’s our goal for you and your family.

At Lifetime Health & Wellness, located in Naperville, Illinois, we use gentle, neuro-focused chiropractic care to rese...

Owning our Truth in a Culture of Niceties

People react in so many different ways when they find out that your family is expanding. Most of these conversations start with “Congratulations,” but for many parents-to-be, it’s not as straightforward as people assume.

We live in a culture that tends to tell us how we “should” feel instead of holding space for how we actually feel.

There may be a part of us that is in shock, a part that is excited, a part that is worried, or a part that is confused...

Happy Healing Post Surgery

Scar Tissue and C-Sections

Hi! My name is Krysia Tscherewik and I have the most wonderful job in the world. I have had the honor to work with thousands of women for the last seventeen years. My job? I am an abdominal therapist. I know it sounds weird at first but when I tell you what it can do for you, you will be signing up.

Abdominal therapy helps with reproductive and digestive issues, such as PCOS, Fibroids, Irregular periods, Period pain, Infertility, Crohn's d...

From the Theater Stage to the Birth Stage

22 years ago, while performing 6 shows a week as a cast member in one of the longest running shows in the history of Chicago theatre, I had no idea that just over 2 decades later, I would have supported close to 1,000 women as they gave birth!

Really…how does a girl with a BFA in musical theatre, end up owning her own business as a Licensed Massage Therapist, birth doula and lactation educator?!

My clients over the years have asked this question many...